HFES Home
Overview
Newsletter
Next Meeting
Job Openings
Membership
Sites of Interest
Newsletter
Updated: April 12, 2001
| Site
Contents: HFES Home Overview Newsletter Next Meeting Job Openings Membership Sites of Interest |
|
NewsletterUpdated: April 12, 2001 |
| April '01 | Volume 36 Number 3 |
|
|
http://www.erols.com/hfespoc |
|
Power is a funny thing and lots of time and energy has been spent on the description and analysis of how power affects individuals. To the best of my knowledge no past President of the Potomac Chapter has ever had problems handling the power at his disposal. Rather, I suspect that each individual has taken office and performed a quick survey of issues, potential objectives, and resources….. and then chuckled a bit. We are a voluntary organization and beset by the same good and bad points that every organization of our type has had to contend with over time.
In one of my past lives I was a human factors practitioner in Southeastern Alabama, and enjoying my work and life in general. At one point I felt that an element missing from my professional life was the camaraderie and gratification that comes from occasional contact with people in the same line of work. There were several organizations that supported human factors professionals in that area, and my estimate was that there were at least 30 people who fit that description, and the number might have been close to 50 if you aren’t too picky about the definition of human factors. I kept asking the senior people in the area why we didn’t have a local chapter of the HFS (remember, this is a past life, pre-HFES) and no one seemed to have an answer. We just didn’t. However, everyone thought it was a good idea to have one, as long as the idea did not require action on their part. I got together with a few individuals and we formed the "Wiregrass Human Factors Group." We elected not to affiliate with the HFS until we determined the viability of the group. We did not feel that the effort involved in forming a chapter, generating by-laws, and complying with the HFS requirements was worth the pay-back. After all, what did we get in return from HFS? We charged no dues, and had the equivalent of the League of Nations or the pre-Constitution United States. We also met the same fate.
The meetings were initially held about once a quarter and fairly well attended. John Ruffner and I have conferred and collectively agreed that there were around 15 to 20 people in attendance at the meetings. John and I have decided that two flawed recollections in agreement equal Truth. Two things changed quickly. The novelty wore off the newness of the group and the time came for a new crop of people to take the mantle of office. Momentum was lost when the third set of officers (reluctantly) took office. Busy schedules took a toll, there was no intellectual or capital investment in the group by the membership, and there was no outside force that gave the group a reason to exist. The looseness of the group was an asset in the beginning, in that it was easy to get things moving, but the looseness allowed a collapse.
Our by-laws, the connectivity with the HFES, the good will of the membership, the investment of time and energy by present and past officers, and yes even the nominal dues we pay to the treasury contribute to keeping the Potomac chapter a viable organization. We need to maintain vigilance and keep pumping new energy into the organization to keep it alive and healthy. We also need to review the need for change. The perennial problem seems to be that of declining attendance at the Chapter meetings. Would reducing the number of meetings help or hurt? Are we making adequate use of our resources to get speakers that would attract an audience? These are rhetorical questions in a sense
What we need is some oracles from Delphi. What we have is a slate of officers that will do their best to chart a course to meet the needs of the membership.
Dino Piccione
President
April Meeting to Feature Debbie Boehm-Davis and Wayne Gray on Model Building
Meeting Date: Thursday, April 19, 2001
Speakers: Dr. Debbie Boehm-Davis and Dr. Wayne Gray
Topic: Why Milliseconds Matter: Building models at the 0.100 sec (100 msec) Level to Explain Human Performance at the 10,000 sec (15 min) Level.
Cognition, perception, and action come together at the embodiment level -- the level of phenomena that require approximately 30 to 300 msec. It is at this level where "constraints of the [human] physical system determine the nature of cognitive phenomenon" (Ballard, Hayhoe, Pook, & Rao, 1997, p. 723). At this level, interactive behavior emerges out of the constraints and opportunities provided by the interaction of embodied cognition with the task and the artifacts (device or interface) designed to support the task. This is the level that we must seek to understand and model if we wish to create a human factors of real-time, safety-critical systems.
In this talk, Drs. Boehm-Davis and Gray will discuss and show off two human performance models written in ACT-R. One model, built in ACT-R/PM (Byrne, 1999; Byrne & Anderson, 1998) focuses on the Argus Prime model of a radar operator in a synthetic environment. The second model, built in ACT-R (Anderson & Lebiere, 1998), models the interaction between a pilot and an aircraft's Flight Management System (FMS). Both models interact with the same simulated task environment as our human subjects. This feature provides important constraints on the modeler and results in a runnable demonstration that allows us to compare empirical data generated by humans with data generated by the models.
Joint Mid-Year Meeting of APA Divisions 19 and 21 a Big Success.
Newsletter Editor’s Correction – In the last edition of this newsletter I mistakenly identified the (then upcoming) Joint Mid-Year Meeting as being that of the American Psychological Society. As some of you pointed out, Divisions 19 and 21 remain, as they have always been, subgroups of the American Psychological Association. Sorry for the mistake.
The Joint Mid-Year Meeting of the American Psychological Association’s Division 19 (Military Psychology) and Division 21 (Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology) was held March 1 and 2 at the GWU University Educational Center at Virginia Square in Arlington and at the Arlington Hilton and Towers. The theme of the meeting was Training and Simulation. After introductory comments and welcomes from Bob Swezey, President of Division 21, Janice Laurence of Division 19, our own Dino Piccione, President of the Potomac Chapter, and Doug Griffith, the Meeting Co-Chair, Henry Tayor of the University of Illinois delivered the keynote address, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Training Devices and Simulators." This set the tone for the meeting.
The next presentation was by Bob Holt and Debbie Boehm Davis (a Potomac Chapter member and former HFES President) on "Training Rater Reliability: A Case Study." Their work is directly concerned with training raters of air crew performance. It has more general relevance, however, as subjective ratings are a necessary component of much human factors research. They are addressing methodological issues that have a larger relevance and this was recognized by the meeting participants. They were followed by Neil Lerner, who was subbing for Eddy Llaneras of Westat Inc. Neil presented an overview of issues in training and simulation for surface transportation and also presented a status review on driving simulators. Jim Ballas, of the Naval Research Lab, followed with a presentation on "Virtual Audio environments for Training and Simulation: What You Can’t Do with a Gaming PC." This provided a state of the art review on audio simulation.
That evening there was a student poster presentation held during the cocktail reception at the Hilton. The following posters were presented:
"The Use of Simulation and Training Effectiveness: An In-Progress Meta-analysis" by Tara Carpenter and Eric Barger, George Mason University Consortium of Research Fellows
"The Effects of Physical Stress on Attentional Breadth" by Michael Block, Angela McConnell, and James Merlo of the United States Military Academy
"Reading Comprehension: An Evaluation of Linear versus Non-Linear Text Organization in Reading Tasks" by Boyce Buckner, Benjamin Crombe, Brett Gendron, and Lawrence G. Shattuck of the United States Military Academy
"Improving Team Performance Through Telepresence: Face Versus Common Operating Picture in the Execution of Visual and Spatial Military Tasks" by Anna Feliz, Christina Canelli, Erica Reiner, and James Merlo of the United States Military Academy
"Digital and Analog Displays: An Examination of the West Point Power Plant Control Room" by Robert W. Dickerson, Roscoe Woods, Vashaun A. Wrice, and Lawrence G. Shattuck of the United States Military Academy
"Simulating the Effects of Training Interventions in the Cockpit: A Cognitive Modeling Approach" by Melanie Diez, Wolfgang Schoppek, Deborah A. Boehm-Davis, Robert W. Holt, Jeffrey T. Hansberger, & Mary E. Pinner of George Mason University
"Mental Model Reliability" by A.W. Evans III, James Hitt II & Florian Jentsch of the University of Central Florida
"False Memories: A Look at Contextual Versus Domain/Contextual Word Lists and Recall" by Christina O’Hara, Erich Wigley, and James Merlo of the United States Military Academy
"Soldier Self-Assessment of Performance in a Digital-Training/Learning Environment" by Andrea L. Rittman, Consortium of Research Fellows, U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, George Mason University
"Effect of Visual Displays in Real-Time Strategy Games on Situational Awareness" by Cheryl Hamilton, Tyler Tafeski, Thomas Tolman, Lawrence G. Shattuck of the United States Military Academy
All posters were well presented. It is difficult to overlook the strong presence of the United States Military Academy. One of the psychology programs offered there is Engineering Psychology. It is encouraging to know that there are young officers who have this background as undergraduates.
The second day of the meeting feature a symposium, an invited presentation, and a tour. The symposium was on training and simulation in military labs. Dee Andrews, of the Air Force Research Lab, led off with an overview of training and simulation in the Air Force. James Templeman, of the Naval Research Lab, followed with a review of his work on developing natural user interfaces for dismounted combat simulators. He addressed key issues in making virtual reality an effective training technology. Stephen Goldberg provided an overview of the current work on training and simulation for the U.S. Army. He also addressed key issues in the use of virtual reality. Dexter Fletcher of the Institute of Defense Analysis presented an overview of the ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) initiative. In the course of doing so, he provided an overview of key findings in computer-based instruction. Bowen Lofton, of Old Dominion University, provided a concise and insightful discussion of the four presentations.
The last presentation was an invited address by Sue Bogner, of the Institute for the Study of Medical Error. She presented an insightful overview of the problem of human error and the role of human factors in remediating human error. She raised the question of the reality of human errors, i.e., are they not system design errors instead?
The climax of the meeting was a tour of the National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center of the Uniformed Services University. This is a most impressive facility, which features the best of current medical training technology. Not only does it feature some impressive virtual reality simulators, but it also includes sessions in which students are evaluated in simulated examination sessions with standard patients, i.e., actors.
Doug Griffith
March Chapter Meeting Featured D.J. Imbs of MANPRINT
The March dinner meeting of the Potomac Chapter was held in conjunction with the Joint Mid Year Meeting of Divisions 21 and 19 of the American Psychological Association. The speaker, D. J. Imbs, was from the Manpower, Personnel & Training Branch of the U.S. Army Total Personnel Command. The speaker had obvious relevance to the audience, and the audience clearly resonated to the messages, viz., that the human is a critical component of military systems, and that the human component must be incorporated early in design, that training needs to be developed as part of the design of the system. During the course of his presentation, however, it became apparent that the required resources were not being devoted to these activities by the Army. Of course, D.J. Imbs, being a good soldier, does the best he can with the available resources. Given a staff of six for the entire U.S. Army, however, it was clear that the resources were way short of the mark. D.J. indicated that his group was able to become involved with only the largest and most costly systems. Even for these systems, however, it is clear that the resources are inadequate. At one time MANPRINT was a major initiative. It has largely diminished, however, and one fears the consequences of this neglect.
New Membership/Directory Chair
Michael Eidelkind has answered the call for a new Membership/Directory Chair for the Chapter. He will be responsible for maintaining the membership roles, collecting dues, and providing mailing labels for the newsletter. His contact information is as follows:
Dick’s World – Party On! Excellent!
Dick Horst, President of UserWorks, Inc., and coincidentally your Newsletter Editor, was interviewed recently for Metro Business Analysis, a new program that will be airing on the Fairfax Public Access channel, Cox Cable, Channel 10. This half-hour of incisive business commentary will be hitting the airwaves sometime in June (is that a "sweeps" month?). Stay tuned.
There are several committee chair roles in the Chapter leadership that are vacant:
As suggested by these brief descriptions, several of these committee chairs are key roles that need to be filled in order to allow the chapter to function smoothly. Having these slots vacant puts an extra burden on the people filling the elected positions. These committee chairs are available for the asking, provide a great way to get to know your fellow chapter members, look good on your resume, and provide a fairly painless way to be of service to your profession. PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING FOR ONE OF THESE ROLES. Our new Chapter President, Dino Piccione, would welcome your expressions of interest -- Phone: (202) 366-0128, email: dino.piccione@faa.gov
Association of Information Technology Professionals
April Dinner Meeting:
Biometrics as More Than an Enabling Security Technology
Presented by Sytex Corporation
The Sytex team will share how to take an integrated view of biometrics by looking at the aspects of a client’s operations that affect and are affected by biometric capabilities. Implementing biometrics into an organization's IT architecture calls for an understanding of how existing business processes should be modified to take maximum advantage of the potential that biometric technology offers.
Which biometric approach best fits your organization's needs for ease of use, security, legal, and privacy compliance and business process? How does biometrics fit your IT growth plan?
Dinner Meeting Location: The Ft. Myer Officers Club, which is right over the 14th St. Bridge from DC, next to The Pentagon and near Arlington Cemetary. For those with GIS: 214 Jackson Ave, Arlington, VA.
Dinner meeting fees are:
The NOVA chapter meets in the Ft. Myer Officers Club on the 2d Thursday of the month. Parking is free. No pass is needed to enter Ft. Myer - just ask the gate guard for directions to the Officers Club. Networking/social hour begins at 6 PM. Dinner is at 7, speaker at 8. Business attire is required. Be sure to call or e-mail Ginger Doetsch, 703-704-0358 (ginger@tidalwave.net) for reservations. Remember: no-shows with reservations are responsible for their dinner cost and will be billed.
A local chapter of the Usability Professionals’ Association has formed and is currently comprised of 120 active members. They welcome the participation of HFES members in helping us build a stronger Usability and Human Factors Community
The driving forces behind this new chapter are numerous and include the following:
For more information on the local DC Metro chapter, contact:
UPA Website -- http://www.upassoc.org/
CO-EDITORS: Michael Byrne & Wayne D. Gray
One of the goals of research in Human Factors is the prediction of human performance. While verbal theories and empirical results clearly add to the science, they are not especially useful for quantitative performance prediction. Formal models, on the other hand, can be used to make specific quantitative predictions about human performance.
This special issue is intended to examine the use of quantitative formal models in understanding and predicting human performance in a human factors context. "Formal models" are construed to include both computational and mathematical models, and "human performance" is construed widely to encompass the full range of human performance including cognition, perception, and motor control, as well as physical aspects of performance such as biomechanics and anthropometrics. We are especially interested in models that span a broad range of performance, for example, those including vision, cognition, and manual control.
In addition, we explicitly acknowledge that human performance does not exist in a vacuum-it is a function of the tasks undertaken, artifacts used to perform the task, and environments in which it occurs. Thus, we invite submissions that include formal models of the task, artifact, or environment. Models or modeling frameworks that jointly consider the human element, the task, and the artifacts/environment should be of special interest to the human factors community.
DEADLINE: 1 October 2001
SEND FIVE (5) COPIES OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO:
FOR QUESTIONS OR QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT THE SPECIAL ISSUE CO-EDITORS AT:
Wayne D. Gray, Program Director
Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Program
George Mason University
ARCH Lab/HFAC Program
MSN 3f5
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
VOICE: +1 (703) 993-1357
FAX: +1 (703) 993-1330
http://hfac.gmu.edu/~gray
The HCI Bibliography is a free-access online bibliography of Human-Computer Interaction publications and resources. With over 20,000 entries in a searchable database, the HCI Webliography now contains over 1000 internet resources, in addition to thousands of links to full text articles. The Webliography is used to generate the SIGCHI link pages on education, intercultural issues, kids and computers, publications and 14 general categories of HCI, as well as the link page for SIGCAPH on accessibility.
The home page at http://www.hcibib.org/ is now a gateway to some of the most popular online HCI columns and developer resources. Try these for entertaining education. (The HCI Bibliography has no affiliation with these.)
For additional information, contact
Human Factors Engineer
Advanced Management Technology Inc.
Arlington, VA
Requirements:
Preferred:
Contact:
| Eric Stringer | 1515 Wilson Blvd | |
| Technical Recruiter | Suite 1100 | |
| Advanced Management Technology Inc. | Arlington, VA 22209 | |
| eric.stringer@amti.com | (703) 841-2262 office | |
| www.amti.com | (703) 841-1443 fax |
Senior User Interface Designer
America OnLine
Dulles, VA
AOL is seeking candidates for a Sr. UI Designer position for our Dulles VA office. We're looking for someone with experience designing for consumers. UI designers at AOL:
Sr. UI designers do all the above with diplomacy & assertiveness. If you are interested, please send your resume and/or online portfolio address to:
| Heather Crombie | 22070 Broderick Drive | |
| AOL | Dulles, Virginia 20166 | |
| Sr. UI Designer | hacrombie@aol.com |
User-Centered Design and Evaluation Internships
U.S. Census Bureau
Suitland, MD
(1 mile outside of Washington, DC on the Green Line)
SUMMER: 10-12 weeks, full-time, June-Aug, 2001.
ACADEMIC YEAR: Sept, 2001-May, 2002; half-time (or more): 640 hours minimum.
Salary: $30,000-$47,600 (full-time, 12 months).
Major benefits: Can include full tuition and book allowance for academic year positions. Outstanding training opportunities available including short courses and ongoing educational seminars. Civil service benefits.
Duties: Train and assist in one or more of the following: Software application development; Web site design and maintenance; Usability testing; Heuristic evaluations; User and task analysis; Design and analysis of user surveys and experiments; Authoring and maintaining user-interface standards and style guides.
Application Domains: Primarily electronic questionnaires and information web sites.
Qualifications: Must be a U.S. citizen and a full or part-time student in a graduate degree program, preferably in the social or computer sciences.
| Kent Marquis, Ph.D. | or | David Mingay, Ph.D. | |
| 301-457-4719 | 301-457-4971 | ||
| kent.hammond.marquis@census.gov | david.j.mingay@census.gov |
Scientific and Technical Advisor for Human Factors
Air Traffic Services Human Factors Specialist
Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC
The FAA’s Office of the Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Human Factors (AAR-100) is seeking applicants for a Scientific and Technical Advisor for Human Factors position. The person selected for this position serves as senior advisor to the Chief Scientist for Human Factors and as Deputy Division Manager for AAR-100, providing highly specialized advice and guidance in all human factors research and development programs for the FAA. This senior advisor/manager assists and advises the Chief Scientist and other senior FAA management officials on human factors issues such as computer-human interface for air traffic control, controller/aircrew interface, aircrew performance, cockpit resource management, flight training, aviation maintenance training, aeromedical research, and procedures for security personnel. As Deputy Division Manager, the individual assists the Chief Scientist in defining and evaluating the agency’s human factors related scientific and technical activities, and makes recommendations on the basis of state-of-the-art scientific and technical expertise. The incumbent performs a broad range of managerial and supervisory duties, and strategically plans for, acquires, delivers, markets, and continuously improves the human factors services provided by AAR-100 in a manner which ensures that all activities are both cost-effective and responsive to customer needs.
Basic requirements include a degree (advanced degree preferred) in human factors, industrial engineering, behavioral science, or related disciplines, or a combination of education and experience that provides the applicant with the knowledge of one or more of the disciplines equivalent to a major in the field, or four years of experience that demonstrates that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the disciplines equivalent to a major in the field. Applicants must demonstrate expertise in the field of human factors, experimental psychology, industrial psychology, or ergonomics, and must have experience in managing human factors research and acquisitions programs. In addition, applicants must demonstrate one year of specialized experience which is directly related to the work of the position and which equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Key factors to be considered are: (1) Ability to lead change; (2) Ability to lead people; (3) Results driven orientation; (4) Business acumen; (5) Ability to build coalitions and communicate; and (6) In-depth knowledge and expertise in designing, implementing, and managing human factors programs. Applicants must be US citizens.
For vacancy information and application forms, please see the FAA’s World Wide Web site at http://jobs.faa.gov
or call (202) 267-8012.Information Architect
iXL
Vienna, VA
Job Description: Designs user-centered Web-based and
multimedia solutions for iXL clients, including applying user-centered analysis
and evaluation techniques to determine effective design specifications.
Company Description: iXL offers a comprehensive set of strategic Internet services and creates lasting business partnerships. We offer a full range of interactive and multimedia services which can assist any business in creating a solid interactive media foundation. Our reputation for customer service and client satisfaction is unequaled in the new media industry. We are looking for highly motivated people who want to work for the fastest growing and most exciting new media company in America. For more information about iXL, please see our Web site at http://www.ixl.com.
Minimum Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Contact:
| Kristin Krahl, Information Architect | 703-848-2700 | |
| iXL-DC | kkrahl@ixl.com | |
| 1919 Gallows Road, 10th floor | ||
| Vienna, VA 22182 |
Cancer Research Training Award Fellowship
National Cancer Institute’s International Cancer Information Center
Bethesda, MD
The Usability Office of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) International Cancer Information Center announces a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Fellowship. The Fellow will assist in a wide range of usability design and testing activities including: identifying user groups and designing data collection instruments; creating user interface designs and prototypes for cancer Web sites and other health communication technologies; designing and conducting usability tests at various stages of the development process at testing facilities across the country; analyzing and reporting test results; and developing usability guidelines.
Applicants should hold a graduate degree in human-computer interaction, cognitive psychology, communications, human factors, education, or information dissemination with an emphasis on electronic information transfer and user interface design and engineering. Fellowships are awarded for an initial 2-year period, with potential for renewal up to 5 years. Fellows receive a stipend commensurate with his or her education and experience ($22,000 - $27,000). Benefits include health insurance, paid Federal holidays, and travel when appropriate. Fax (301-480-8105) or mail resume, a statement of interest explaining why you are interested in the CRTA Fellowship program, and three references to:
| Sanjay Koyani | ||
| National Cancer Institute | NCI IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER | |
| 9030 Old Georgetown Road | ||
| Bldg. 82, Room 103 B | ||
| Bethesda, MD 20814 |
Faculty Appointment
Rehabilitation Engineering R&D Lab
National Rehabilitation Hospital
Collaborative and independent research and development on applications of Virtual Reality methods and technologies to rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. The setting is a rehabilitation engineering R&D lab with clinical goals, a strong interdisciplinary orientation, and active connections with academic departments of biomedical engineering and experimental psychology at the nearby Catholic University of America. The lab is housed in the Rehabilitation Engineering Service at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, a private not-for-profit 130-bed hospital in northwest Washington, DC. Disabilities that are currently the focus of VR research include stroke, autistic spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy. A faculty appointment and direct involvement with graduate students is likely.
Credentials:
Required: Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a discipline of engineering, computer science or experimental psychology, with strong capabilities in virtual environment development and related programming; demonstrated capability to conceptualize and implement R&D programs independently and to publish results; high level working familiarity with PCs and graphics work stations; particular specialty knowledge in current VR tools and techniques and their application to medical and research problems; excellent written and spoken communication skills; and a professional commitment to applications of engineering to medical challenges, in particular rehabilitation.
Desirable: Experience beyond graduate school; experience with haptics; knowledge of modeling of human oculomotor control and related optics; demonstrated ability to prepare winning research proposals; strong capabilities in analog and digital circuit design; and a demonstrated ability to carry a product design initiative from conceptualization to prototype completion.
Human Performance Investigator
National Transportation Safety Board
Irvine, Texas or Washington, D.C.
The National Transportation Safety Board is looking for qualified individuals to apply for one of two Human Performance Investigator
positions, located in either Irvine, Texas or Washington, D.C. The
positions are open to all candidates with at least a Bachelor's degree in
human factors or psychology, and who have a strong interest in
transportation safety. However, preference will be given to those who
posses a Master's degree or higher.
A Human Performance investigator is required to travel to accident scenes, assemble information consistent with the standards of science, analyze the evidence, and develop conclusions based on analyses of the accident evidence and facts. Further, the investigator may develop and execute independent audits and data gathering activities at other government agencies and in industry to produce human performance related safety recommendations. The investigator generally exchanges information and views with groups involved with the accident, and interprets their practices, procedures and regulations. The investigator deals with the public, the transportation industry, and government officials.
The starting salary range for the positions is between $36,500 and $68,000, depending on academic and professional experience. Its a great oppurtunity for an individual to develop and utilize knowledge and skills in transportation safety. Investigators are often faced with issues as wide-ranging as vehicle design, training, driver distraction, driver fitness, carrier operations, and intelligent transportation systems.
For more information, please visit the NTSB's website (www.ntsb.gov) or click on the following link to access the job announcement (job number WA-TB-1-054) directly: http://www.ntsb.gov/Vacancies/listing.htm. You may also contact Bruce Magladry (magladb@ntsb.gov) or Rafael Marshall (marshar@ntsb.gov) for more information.
User Interface Designer/Web Interaction Specialist
SRA International
Fairfax, Virginia
SRA International has some challenging opportunities for User Interface Designers in its Knowledge Discovery Solutions practice. This practice supports a market and trading analysis system used by NASD Regulation. These positions are located in Fairfax, VA.
Candidates should possess a BS in CS or a related field and at least 5 years of related experience. Position requires:
SRA is a privately held information technology firm that provides systems integration, consulting, and eBusiness and eGovernment services and solutions tailored to government and commercial client needs. We specialize in Internet systems development, systems and software engineering, network integration and management, information security, enterprise systems management, knowledge discovery, and e-mail management systems.
Fortune Magazine recently chose SRA as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" and Business Week has named SRA as one of the leading private information technology companies for the second consecutive year. Founded in 1978, SRA serves clients from its headquarters in Fairfax, VA, and across the United States. Our staff of more than 1,900 talented and dedicated people carry out the company's commitment to high-quality work, honesty and service, and customer satisfaction.
Should you be interested in this opportunity, please forward your resume to Judy_Whipple@sra.com
| Judy L. Whipple | Voice: (540) 972-4229 | |
| Sr. Staffing Consultant | Email: Judy_Whipple@sra.com | |
| SRA International | http://www.sra.com/ |
Consultants (Ergonomics Analyst and Usability Analyst positions)
Evans Incorporated
Vienna, VA
Evans Incorporated is a dynamic, woman-owned consulting firm committed to helping our clients improve their organizations by evolving their business processes, the way they use technology, and their work environments. We specialize in Business Process Improvement, Human Centered IT Solutions and Ergonomics Specialty Services. Our clients include Ford Motor Company, General Motors, the International Monetary Fund, Girl Scouts of America and the Social Security Administration.
Description: Entry- and mid-level ergonomics analysts will aid clients in designing and managing their ergonomics programs using innovative e-business solutions. Usability analysts will work with software engineers to design useful and usable web and PC-based systems. Either position may involve related activities that include re-engineering business processes, facilitating user-oriented design sessions, gathering functional and technical requirements for new program management solutions, serving as a user advocate during the software development cycle, and guiding clients through the implementation of new business processes and software applications.
Basic/Minimum Qualifications: Entry-level positions require a Bachelors degree in a related field and demonstrated experience in the fields of industrial ergonomics and safety, HCI/usability or information design. Mid-level positions require a Bachelors degree and 4 years experience or MA/MS degree and 2 years experience. In addition, they must have excellent analytical and oral communication skills, document writing and editing skills, and outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills. Candidates must be able to work comfortably in cross-functional teams and have good negotiation and problem-solving skills. Candidates should have proficiency with the MS Office suite of software.
Desired Qualifications: Experience in one or more of the following areas: usability testing or interface design and the application of user-centered design theory and methods, design session facilitation, project management, instructional design, technical writing, requirements gathering using a variety of techniques, process and data modeling, and database management.
Salary: Commensurate with experience. Outstanding benefits, including medical, dental and vision care, disability insurance, 401(k) and matching contributions.
When Available: Immediately
Employer's URL: http://www.evansincorporated.com/
How to Apply: Send resume and cover letter to:
| Human Resources | tel. 703-281-1445 | |
| Evans Incorporated | fax. 703-281-1472 | |
| 301 Maple Avenue, West | e-mail: sevans@evansincorporated.com | |
| Suite 602 | ||
| Vienna, Va 22180 |
Human Factors Engineer
Sverdrup Technology, Inc.
Dumfries, VA
The Sverdrup Technology CSLE Team (supporting MACORSYSCOM) near Quantico, VA is currently seeking an individual to support the Marine Warfighter in the following area:
HUMAN FACTORS SUPPORT: BS with 10 years experience in the Human Factors area or MS with 8 years experience in the Human Factors area.
Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership and expert guidance to ensure integration of human factors elements into evolving design; implementing programs to provide standardization of practices compliant with DoD guidance; conducting operator/maintainer capabilities assessments; and providing biomedical and safety analysis in the development of visual displays and instrumentation. Familiarity with modeling and simulations tools (e.g., JACK and Ergo) is also desired.
If you are interested in joining the Sverdrup CSLE Team and possess the necessary credentials and experience, mail, email, or fax your resume for confidential consideration to:
| Sverdrup Technology, Inc. | fax 703-445-9876 | |
| Attn.: Ms. Catherine Cook | email: cookcg@sverdrup.com | |
| 234 S. Fraley Blvd., Suite 100 | ||
| Dumfries, VA 222026 |
Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V). All positions will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and personnel must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
Faculty Position in Human-Computer Interaction
Department of Computer Science
The University of Maryland, College Park
The Department of Computer Science is seeking faculty members at all ranks. Truly outstanding candidates in all areas will be considered, but we are especially seeking candidates in the areas of networks, mobile computing, multimedia systems, graphics, Human Computer Interaction, databases, information security, programming languages and software engineering.
Under the University of Maryland Flagship Initiative, candidates with established research programs will be considered for joint appointments between the Department and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, The Department of Electrical Engineering, and the Institute for Systems Research.
Candidates who are interested should send curriculum vitae, research summary, and at least four names of references with (3) emphasizing research and (1) emphasizing teaching to:
At the time they apply, candidates must request their references to send written recommendations. Failure to do so will delay the application process. Beginning January 15, 2001 we will begin the review of candidates to be interviewed and therefore encourage your early application. Additional information about academic and research units at Maryland is available on the World Wide Web. Department of Computer Science, http://www.cs.umd.edu/
The University of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.
| Prof. Ben Bederson | Director, Human-Computer Interaction Lab | |
| bederson@cs.umd.edu | Computer Science Department | |
| www.cs.umd.edu/~bederson | 3171 A.V. Williams Building | |
| (301) 405-2764 | University of Maryland | |
| (301) 405-6707 (FAX) | College Park, MD 20742 |
An Accident Report from the Workers’ Compensation Board
Dear Sir:
I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block #3 of the accident reporting form. I put "Poor Planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient.
I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over which. when weighted later, were found to weigh 240 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor.
Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow decent of the 240 lbs. of bricks. You will note on the accident reporting form that my weight is 135 lbs.
Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in Section 3 of the accident reporting form.
Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley, which I mentioned in Paragraph 2 of this correspondence. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight.
As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacerations of my legs and lower body.
Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked.
I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope.
President
Dino Piccione
Federal Aviation Administration
Phone: (202) 366-0128
email: dino.piccione@faa.gov
President-Elect
John Ruffner
DCS Corporation
Phone: (703) 683-8430 x243
Email: jruffner@dcscorp.com
Past President
Doug Griffith
ERIM
Phone: (703) 803-0100, x4120
email: dkgriffith@erols.com
Secretary
Susan Evans
Evans Incorporated
Phone: (703) 281-1445
email: sevans@evansincorporated.com
Secretary-Elect
Colleen Donovan
Federal Aviation Administration
Phone: 202-267-3313
Email: colleen.donovan@faa.gov
Past Secretary
Cliff Baker
Carlow International Incorporated
Phone: (703) 208-3454
email: cliff@carlow.com
Treasurer
Kris Knutson
National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Phone: (301) 435-6624
email: krisknut@msn.com
Treasurer-Elect
Cliff Baker
Carlow International Incorporated
Phone: (703) 208-3454
email: cliff@carlow.com
Past Treasurer
John Ruffner
DCS Corporation
Phone: (703) 683-8430 x243
Email: jruffner@dcscorp.com
Directors-at-Large
Jack Laveson
Integrated Systems Research
Phone: (703) 642-3677
email: j.i.laveson@ieee.org
Ron Hoffman
Mitretek Systems
Phone: 703-610-2156
email: rhoffman@mitretek.org
Awards
Tyson Rose
IBM/ISSC
Phone: (301) 803-3378
email:ctrose@vnet.ibm.com
Membership/Directory
Michael Eidelkind
TRW
Phone: 703-575-0782
email: Michael.Eidelkind@trw.com
Newsletter
Dick Horst
UserWorks, Inc.
Phone: (301) 431-0500
email: dhorst@userworks.com
Student Affairs
Vacant
Phone:
email:
Public Affairs/Corporate Membership
Vacant
Phone:
email:
Program
Vacant
Phone:
email:
WebMaster
Jack Laveson
Integrated Systems Research
Phone: (703) 642-3677
email: j.l.laveson@ieee.org
Local Arrangements
Vacant
Phone:
email:
Recent
Meetings:
February, 2000
Mike Fineberg, "A New Vision for CSERIAC: The Right
Information to the Right People at the Right Time"
July, 2000
Aliza Geretz, "America Online: Bringing Consumers into Product Development"
September, 2000
John Brock, "If We're so Smart, Why Ain't We Rich?"
October, 2000
Jeff Fernandez, "Ergonomics on the Web"
December 2000
Sue Archer, "A Modeling Success Story"
February 2001
Dino Piccione and John Ruffner: "Driving with Night Vision Devices: A (Thin) Link to Air Traffic Control"
March 2001
D. J. Imbs, "MANPRINT"
